


turn off your mind

by i_was_human



Category: Lost in Translation (Webcomic)
Genre: Blind Character, Fluff and Angst, Found Family, Gen, Healing, Human Experimentation, MAYHEM are Family, No beta we die like mne, Precognition, Superpowers, Team as Family, Teleportation, Whump, pyrokinesis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:08:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26408479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_was_human/pseuds/i_was_human
Summary: In which MAYHEM meet in a lab, and over the course of fifteen years, become closer than brothers.Or: Dongho's a good big brother, Minsoo is the only proactive one in this group, Daehyun is actually a baby, and Jaewon somehow wound up with the best brothers possible.
Relationships: Ahn Jaewon | Wyld & Kang Dongho | D.Min & Kim Daehyun & Lee Minsoo
Comments: 6
Kudos: 42





	turn off your mind

The first time Jaewon meets Minsoo and Dongho, he's ten years old.

He's ten years old and has just been pulled from his bed in the dead of night, driving for hours with his thin-lipped father until they arrive at a sleek white facility. Men in lab coats pull him from the car, press a wad of bills into his father's hand, and drag him into a cell block, sticking a needle into his arm before shoving him into a room.

There are two others already in there - a boy with messy brown hair and wide eyes, and a boy with sharp eyes and hair pulled into a small bun. 

The first boy smiles at him, weak and wan, and Jaewon tastes ash on his tongue.

* * *

Their names are Minsoo and Dongho, Jaewon learns.

Dongho doesn't talk much, but he sees _everything_ , dark eyes always pinned on something and mind working a mile a minute to analyze even the tiniest things. Minsoo's energetic, though pained - he, unlike Dongho, misses home with an ache Jaewon knows all too well.

"They said it'll keep the house," Minsoo tells him, lips quirking into a half-grin. "They said they needed my help, and Minsung-hyung was too old, and I couldn't... I couldn't _not_."

Dongho keeps his silence, and Jaewon doesn't ask why.

"I didn't get to say goodbye to my mom," the youngest laments, gaze falling to his jagged nails. "She... I miss her."

"...what was she like?"

The question comes from Dongho, piercing dark eyes pinned on Jaewon's face, and he swallows, digging his nails into his knees.

"...kind. Kind, and so nice, and I just... I miss my mom."

Minsoo nods, a mixture of pity and agreement on his face, and to his left, Dongho doesn't reply.

(Jaewon wonders, in that moment, what kind of life he must have led.)

* * *

A few months after his arrival, they bring in another boy.

Jaewon knew it was coming - four beds in the room, four boys - but to actually see it leaves a bitter taste on his tongue.

Daehyun's small, so small, with chubby cheeks and a sunshine smile, and Minsoo and Jaewon take a liking to him instantly.

But _god_ , he's so young - and they're all young, but Daehyun especially. 

_Nine years old_.

Nine years old, and still so _painfully_ happy, so unaware of what's happening, and Jaewon's chest _aches_.

A few days after the realization, Dongho and Minsoo step up - as the two oldest, it's only fitting - and dote on them a bit, Minsoo telling them stories and tales and teaching them games while Dongho provides a shoulder to cry on.

And they're _scared_.

All four of them are scared, the omnipresent current running under every one of their interactions, and it's the _unknown_ that does it.

None of them know what's going to happen to them, but the three oldest know it won't be good.

* * *

A month after Daehyun's arrival, the doctors come for Dongho and Minsoo.

Jaewon holds Daehyun until they return, wiping the snot and tears off his face, and hopes to god the entire time that they'll come back.

When they do return, Minsoo's leaning on Dongho for support, face pale and tinted green, and Dongho helps him over to the tiny bathroom, leaving him to puke his guts up in the toilet.

Jaewon covers Daehyun's ears, then.

* * *

They celebrate Daehyun's tenth birthday with a tiny cake and cards drawn on the paper the doctors give them, and Daehyun's smile is the best part of their day.

Daehyun himself is the best part of their days, Jaewon thinks - even when Minsoo comes back so weak Dongho has to all but carry him to the bathroom, even when Dongho comes back with an uncharacteristic haze in his dark eyes, even as Jaewon waits in fear for the doctors to come and take him too.

It's a brief respite, and for that, Jaewon is grateful.

* * *

The first time they take him, he nearly passes out on the operating table.

They strap him down, shine lights in his eyes and press needles into his arms, and Jaewon _screams_ as molten flame shoots through his veins, screams and tries to remember the quickly-disappearing memory of his mother's smile.

He screams for his mom, and she never comes.

He screams for god, and he never comes.

He screams for Dongho and Minsoo, and there they are, his arms slung over Dongho and Minsoo's shoulders as he stumbles forwards, and he knows-

there is nothing but them in this world.

* * *

Over the next year, things change.

Dongho gets taller, frame filling out and face taking on a more adult appearance. Minsoo complains about it to no end - "it's not _fair_ , you're a year older than me, how can you be two feet _taller?_ " and each time, Dongho simply pats his head.

Minsoo, too, grows - albeit less. It's more in his face, some of the baby fat starting to melt away and jaw growing just a bit sharper.

Jaewon doesn't think he's changed much, but it's hard to tell.

They start bringing in books for the two eldest - workbooks, notebooks, all sorts of things - and more often than not, Daehyun will be sitting on Minsoo's bed, begging the second-eldest to teach him whatever his workbooks are going over.

Minsoo agrees, of course.

Dongho, on the other hand, rarely agrees - if only for the fact that he's absolutely terrible at explaining things. He once tried to explain algebra to Jaewon, but it just left him more confused than before.

Does he solve for a number, or for a variable?

(the experiments don't stop.

they just get worse.

Jaewon stops thinking about them.)

* * *

"Why do you get so upset when I talk about my mom?" he asks.

Once.

Just once.

"My parents sold me for a publicity stunt," Dongho replies - short, clipped - and Jaewon drops it.

* * *

The first time they take Daehyun for testing, he cries.

Jaewon squeezes his hand, interlaces their fingers and holds on for as long as he can - holds on until the doctors rip them apart, holds on once they're back together.

"It'll be okay," Jaewon breathes, gripping his hands for dear life. "It's going to be okay."

Daehyun looks like he doesn't believe him.

* * *

One day, nearly three years after it starts, Jaewon wakes up and realizes he can't remember his mother's face.

He cries for hours.

* * *

Jaewon's not sure if he can pinpoint an exact moment when he realized these three boys were his family.

Maybe it would be when Daehyun sat down on the bed next to him after a particularly bad day and leaned over to rest his head on his shoulder, eyes fluttering shut and books spilling off his lap.

Maybe it would be when Minsoo climbed into bed with him after a nightmare, running his fingers through Jaewon's hair until he fell asleep.

Maybe it would be when Dongho hoisted Jaewon into his arms after another bad day, carrying him back to their room and placing him in his bed.

Jaewon doesn't know exactly when, but somewhere along the line, they turned from _friends_ to _family_.

And from looking around, he can tell the others feel the same.

* * *

He's not sure how long it takes for them to move onto the second round of testing, but he knows it's a while.

It's long enough for Jaewon to start growing, long enough for Daehyun to look less like a child and more like a teenager. It's long enough for Dongho to change his hair a few times, long enough for Minsoo's voice to drop from a squeak to something vaguely human.

Jaewon's lost track of the days, only able to estimate how long it's been by how much they've grown. He's... somewhere between fourteen and sixteen, he guesses, though he has no way of telling.

Still, one day they take them out for testing, and only three return.

Minsoo gives them a small grin, gaze flitting to the door. "He's probably just doing something. It'll be fine."

 _But_ , Jaewon doesn't say, words locked behind gritted teeth, _b_ _ut he's always there, always comes back, he's always on time-_

They wait, and Dongho doesn't come back.

They go to sleep, and Dongho doesn't come back.

They go through three more days of testing, and Dongho doesn't come back.

Finally, on the fifth day, the door clicks open, and the doctors shove a bloody mess of rags into the room.

 _Dongho_.

Minsoo leaps off his bed and crouches in front of the eldest, watching as Dongho struggles to his knees. "What... what happened?"

Dongho blinks at him, once, twice, and then in a voice so _painfully_ small, whispers-

"Minsoo?"

Time stops.

Because Dongho's looking but not seeing, brown eyes a sickening shade of silver, and _Dongho can't see them_.

Dongho can't see.

Oh, god.

"Yeah," Minsoo breathes, bending down to grip Dongho's bloody hand for dear life. "Yeah, yeah, it's me. You're back in the cell, and you're okay."

"I can't... I can't see you."

"Yeah," Minsoo gasps, tears tumbling down his cheeks and dripping on the floor. "Yeah..."

"You're crying," Dongho notes, reaching in the general direction of Minsoo's face.

Minsoo grasps his wrist and places his hand on his cheek, harsh sobs escaping his throat as his shoulders shake with tears. "I- I-"

"Hey," Dongho murmurs, brushing away tears with the pad of his thumb. "Hey, hey, don't cry..."

Daehyun drops to his knees next to the eldest, and Dongho stiffens as the youngest's arms wrap around his waist. "Hyung..."

Jaewon takes a seat on Dongho's other side, and he watches as Minsoo pitches forwards, burying his head in the eldest's chest.

"Dongho-hyung..."

Dongho presses his nose into Minsoo's hair, silver eyes staring at nothing, and Jaewon tries to ignore the tears streaking down his cheeks. "It's okay, Min. It's okay."

* * *

Unsurprisingly, Dongho gets a lot jumpier. 

He doesn't do well with unexpected touches - Jaewon has a feeling it's got a lot to do with whatever his testing is now, but he doesn't press - and still trips over things when they leave them out. Jaewon and Minsoo have both told him it's not his fault, that they'll clean it up, that he shouldn't get upset over it, but Jaewon's seen the two eldest talk in the bathroom, and he knows Dongho doesn't believe it.

The worst part, though, are the nightmares.

Around once a week, Dongho will wake up screaming, and it's a concentrated effort to banish the demons from his mind and calm him down enough for him to sleep. He doesn't talk about what he sees to anyone but Minsoo, and Jaewon doesn't ask, but he knows it's bad. 

("i'm useless," he overhears one night, minsoo pressed to dongho's chests and the eldest's sightless eyes staring at nothing. "every single time. you all die, and i'm completely useless."

"i guess it's a good thing i can protect everyone, huh?" minsoo replies, and dongho doesn't reply.)

And, of course, just as they're starting to reach some kind of normal, the guards take Minsoo.

Dongho's all but catatonic for the next two days, thousands of possibilities whirling around his mind, and Jaewon takes over, distracting Daehyun with what he can.

(they're too young. all too young for this.)

Dongho and Minsoo always seemed like these larger than life figures, but now-

they seem so _painfully_ real.

"Hyung?" Daehyun asks on the second day, taking a seat on Dongho's bed. "What did you see?"

Dongho turns, silver eyes wide, and he shakes his head. "He's going to come back," he murmurs, "but..."

He trails off, and Daehyun's eyes go wide with fear.

"But?"

"I don't _know_ ," Dongho hisses, and Daehyun flinches at the uncharacteristic anger. "I _don't fucking know everything, Dae_!"

Daehyun reels, tears swimming in his eyes, and Jaewon drops his workbook, rushing across the room to cradle the youngest in his arms. 

"I don't know where the _fuck_ he is, or what he's going to look like when he comes back! I don't know _shit_ , Dae!"

Dongho jolts to his feet, hands balling into fists, and Jaewon blinks at the sight of tears shimmering in his silver eyes.

"I _can't fucking see_! I can't _fucking see_ because they fucked me up somehow, and I'm never _going_ to see, and all I ever dream about is you guys _dying_ , and I'm _so fucking sick of being useless_!"

Dongho slams his fist into the wall, and Jaewon flinches as a cracking sound rings through the air. "Hyung-"

Dongho collapses back onto the bed, head falling into his hands, and Jaewon slides closer, hand hovering over the eldest's shoulder. "Can I... can I hug you?"

"...yeah."

Jaewon slowly wraps Dongho in a hug, letting the eldest's forehead fall against his shoulder, and for a while, they just sit there, Dongho's tears seeping into the fabric of his shirt.

"I can't do anything," Dongho breathes, and Jaewon nods. "I can't- I can't do _anything_."

"It's okay," Jaewon murmurs, and Dongho shakes his head.

"No. No, no, it isn't."

* * *

A few days after that, they shove Minsoo into the cell and lock the door once more.

Jaewon darts forwards to wrap his arms around the second-eldest, but Minsoo shoves him away, hand disappearing halfway through the motion.

What?

Jaewon stares at the second-eldest - his hunched-over form flickering not unlike a t.v. screen - and he casts a pleading glance at Dongho before he remembers.

Ah.

"Hyung-"

"Don't touch me," Minsoo gasps, digging his nails into his skull. "Don't- don't touch me-"

"Hyu-"

" _Don't touch me!_ "

Minsoo flickers out completely for a few seconds before flickering back, a pained moan tearing out of his lips as he wraps his arms around his waist. "It hurts," he gasps, eyes shimmering with tears. "It hurts- it hurts so bad-"

"Minsoo."

Dongho stumbles across the room, dropping into a crouch in front of the second-oldest, and Minsoo stares at him, dark eyes wide with horror. "Can you tell me three things you feel?"

"The-"

Another flicker.

"The floor," Minsoo finally gasps, digging his nails into the tile as if that'll fix whatever's broken inside him. "My- my clothes. It hurts, it hurts, it hurts so bad, hyung-"

"Can you tell me three things you see?"

Dongho's voice breaks on the last word, but Minsoo doesn't comment.

"You," he breathes, gaze flickering around the room. "Jaewon-ah. Dae- Daehyun-ah."

"You're doing great," Dongho assures him, and Minsoo chokes on a wail. "Can you tell me three things you hear?"

"...you. The air conditioning. The food-noona's coming this way."

He looks more stable, Jaewon notes - more present.

"Can you tell me three things you smell?"

"The whole room smells like one thing," Minsoo scowls, and Dongho gives him a grin - small, weary, _terrified_.

"You back with us?"

"I... I think so?"

"Good," Dongho hums, standing and shoving his hands in his pockets. "I need someone to help me learn Braille."

* * *

"Why don't you learn sign language?"

Dongho's eyes narrow, though he's a few degrees off from where Daehyun actually is. "Dae. How do you process sign language?"

"Isn't that for blind people?"

"That's for _deaf_ people."

"...oops."

"You learned sign language."

"Maybe? A little bit?"

Dongho sighs, sliding one of his books across the space. "C'mon. I'll teach you Braille."

"Really?" Daehyun enthuses, and Dongho winces as Daehyun flies into his side. "This is gonna be so cool!"

"Not really."

"This is going to be cool!" Daehyun repeats, and Dongho's lips quirk into a half-grin.

"...fine. It'll be a little cool."

* * *

_Teleportation_ , they later find out.

 _That's_ why Minsoo's so flickery. He can _teleport_.

Minsoo doesn't seem to be so happy about this, for obvious reasons.

"I always feel so... airy," Minsoo frowns, gesturing vaguely as if to indicate himself. "So not here."

"But you can teleport!" Daehyun protests, eyes still shining with a painful amount of childhood innocence. "That's _awesome_!"

"Well, I mean, Dongho-hyung can..."

He trails off, and Dongho raises his head, visibly unimpressed.

"I dream in HD," he simply replies, and Minsoo snorts.

"We'd make an awesome superhero duo. Your hero name can be HD-man."

"No."

"Come _on_!"

"I'm not going to be _HD-man_."

"You can dress up in spandex?"

"..."

"Wait, wait, where are you going?"

"To drown myself in the sink."

" _Wait, hyung, no-_ "

* * *

When they come for him, Jaewon knows it's going to be different.

Dongho squeezes his hand in silent support, and Minsoo holds onto him as long as he can, but both of them have to leave some time.

They strap him down to a table and shoot a cocktail of drugs into his veins, and as Jaewon goes limp, they inject a bright orange liquid into his arm.

It _burns_ , burns like fire, and Jaewon wants to thrash and scream and _get it out it hurts so bad_ but he _can't move_ and he can't breathe and it hurts so bad, so bad, feels like something's burning him up from the inside out, and he wants to scream but he can't, wants to move but he can't, and it _hurts_ -

"Subject 903, please remain still."

 _How can they expect him to remain still when he's burning_?

He sucks in a ragged breath, tears spilling down his cheeks (and those are hot too, so so hot and he doesn't understand why they're so hot everything is so hot) and he tries to scream for Dongho and Minsoo because they'll always come when he needs them, they always have, but they're _not here_ -

The heat builds, builds, builds, and Jaewon passes out.

* * *

When he comes to, he's choking on sulphur.

He rolls over and retches, throat burning as sparks fly from his mouth, and he's _so hot_ , burning up from the inside out, and he wants it _out_ , wants it to _stop_ , and he can't breathe-

"Hy-"

He gags on sparks, the flames burning his mouth as they leave his lips, and burning-hot tears drip down his cheeks, sizzling where they hit the floor.

"Dongho-"

He hacks up something hot - blood, bile, flames, who's to know - and digs his nails into the floor, fire coursing through his veins.

"Minsoo-"

He wants his brothers, he wants his big brothers here more than _anything_ , but they're _not_.

" _Please_ -"

The pressure drops for a moment, and Jaewon blinks, burning eyes trying to focus on the figure at the other end of the room.

And oh, he's here-

"Minsoo-"

Minsoo pulls him into a tight hug, and Jaewon clings to him and _sobs_ , because it hurts so bad, it hurts _so bad_ , he wants it _out_ , and Minsoo cards his fingers through his sweaty hair, whispering nonsense even as the temperature climbs, and _oh_ , Jaewon feels safe here.

"Hyung," he begs, a desperate gasp tearing its way from his lips, "if we- if we ever get out-"

"Mhm."

"Can we- can we s-stay together?"

"Of course," Minsoo whispers, and Jaewon's lips curl into a cracked parody of a smile. "You're my little brother, Jaewonnie. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

When he next stirs, he's in his bed.

Dongho's sitting next to him, fingers brushing the pages of his book, and he raises his head, sightless eyes landing on Jaewon. "You're awake."

"How'd you know?"

His voice comes out low, wrecked, and Dongho's lips quirk into a smirk.

"Heard your breathing change."

"That's..."

"Are you feeling any better?"

Jaewon thinks about it, runs his tongue over the roof of his mouth. "...my throat hurts."

"Apparently, you were breathing fire."

" _What_?"

* * *

As it turns out, Jaewon can, in fact, shoot fire.

Well.

Daehyun, of course, thinks that's the coolest thing he's ever heard.

Minsoo and Dongho are... a bit more neutral towards the whole thing, mostly due to the number of things Jaewon's set on fire. They don't _blame_ him, but the amount of times Dongho wakes up to smoke and has to wake up Minsoo is getting a bit ridiculous.

(he doesn't talk about it as much, but Jaewon knows that Dongho feels useless, now more than ever. now that Minsoo has teleportation and Jaewon has pyrokinesis, he's pretty much useless in any and all scenarios, and though they may try and convince him otherwise, he's never going to believe it.)

All things considered, Jaewon would really rather _not_ have fire magic, though.

It's not worth the nights he has to spend in the shower, shivering under the cold spray as his skin tries and fails to erupt into flame. It's not worth the test days where they shove him in a flaming room and make him absorb the fire until his skin crawls and his veins burn with the ghosts of hundreds of flames, not worth the nightmares where he's losing control and _everyone is burning_.

He can't remember his mom's face, can't remember her voice, can't remember _her_.

And that _burns_.

Still, when he thinks of family, the first things that come to mind are Minsoo, Dongho, and Daehyun's faces.

They're _his family_. _His brothers_.

He's not letting them go.

Not now, not ever.

* * *

A few days before the men come to take Daehyun away, Dongho spends a few minutes just trying to learn their faces.

They've grown since he's lost his sight - turned from kids into adults - and Dongho's fingers brush over Jaewon's cheekbones, tracing his eyes and nose and jaw.

"You've grown," he murmurs, and Jaewon laughs - wet and broken.

"Yeah. Yeah, hyung."

Dongho's lips twist into something resembling a grin, and he reaches up to brush Jaewon's forehead, grin falling into a confused frown. "Where's the scar?"

"What?"

"Nothing."

* * *

They take Daehyun, and he comes back fine.

Jaewon doesn't understand it.

Doesn't understand it until Daehyun's hand brushes Dongho's cheek, and he promptly passes the fuck out.

Dongho catches him as he falls, a silent question in the air as he pulls Daehyun onto the bed, and Jaewon and Minsoo both gawp at the scene, unsure of how to respond.

"Uh," Minsoo starts, "is he okay...?"

"You're asking the blind guy," Dongho deadpans, and Minsoo sighs.

"Is he _breathing_?"

"Yeah," Dongho snaps, and Jaewon knows them both well enough to know they're really, really worried. "I'm _blind_ , not _deaf_."

"You-"

Jaewon strides across the room, abruptly cutting off the conversation, and he crouches at Daehyun's side, pulling him out of Dongho's arms and into his. "Dae-yah..."

There's a moment where nobody moves.

"...hey," Daehyun rasps, eyes slitting open and head lolling to the side. "What'd... what'd I miss?"

" _Dae_ -"

Dongho reaches out for him, and Daehyun leans away, eyes shining with something like fear.

_Fear._

What?

"What happened?" Jaewon asks, gaze flitting between a bewildered Dongho and visibly upset Daehyun. "You just... touched hyung and passed out."

"It hurt," Daehyun mumbles, reaching up to rub his forehead. "It hurt really bad."

Dongho reaches out for a moment before retracting his hand, hurt flickering on his face. "Do you know why?"

Daehyun shakes his head, and Dongho nods, sharp and quick. "Okay. Okay."

"It'll go away, though," Daehyun smiles, stuffing his hands in his pocket. "It must, right?"

* * *

It doesn't go away.

Every single time Daehyun so much as brushes Dongho, he passes out. None of them can explain why, and Dongho looks genuinely apologetic every time it happens, but it's kind of hard for him to tell where Daehyun is, especially with the younger's penchant for quick movement.

As a result, accidents happen.

Unfortunately, the worst time is when Daehyun drops and Minsoo and Jaewon are nowhere to be seen.

Dongho catches Daehyun on instinct, the youngest becoming dead weight in his arms in an instant. Jaewon and Minsoo aren't there - still doing "special testing", which really means testing for people that aren't disgustingly incompetent like Dongho - and Daehyun's limp in his arms, breathing shallow.

Fuck.

Dongho hoists Daehyun into his arms, stumbling towards his bed and finally placing Daehyun on the bunk. He lingers for a moment, unsure of what to do, and he's about to step back when someone grabs his wrist. 

"Stay," Daehyun whispers, and Dongho hesitates, unsure.

"But-"

"Please."

Dongho sits down next to him, and Daehyun crawls over to rest his head in his lap, hands landing on his thighs and breath fanning across his knees.

"Dae-"

Daehyun's already out.

Dongho sighs, reaching over to grab a book from the stack on the dresser.

God _fucking forbid_ he ever understand his dongsaengs, really.

* * *

The first time Minsoo notices a change is the day Daehyun leaves his books on the floor.

Now, they're normally pretty good at picking up their stuff, but occasionally, they forget.

(that is to say, none of them _want_ to deal with Dongho breaking his nose again, but accidents do happen.)

Dongho hops out of bed for dinner, and Minsoo's gaze lands on the books right in front of him, in prime position for tripping. He's about to say something-

and Dongho just. 

Fucking _sidesteps them_.

Like he knew they were there.

"How did you do that?" Minsoo asks, and Dongho gives him the patented "are-you-smoking-crack" look that usually lands about six inches to Minsoo's left.

"Do what?"

"How did you know those books were there?"

"I saw them," Dongho deadpans, and Daehyun's straw falls from his mouth.

"You _what_?"

"Not- _saw them_ ," Dongho mutters, flapping his hand as if that explains everything. "I knew I was gonna trip on them, so I avoided them."

Minsoo stares at him, bewildered, and a quick glance at the others reveals much the same.

"What's for dinner?"

"We're not dropping this," Minsoo states, pushing a cup across the table, "and nutrient slush. Like every night."

"Oh. Great."

* * *

As time creeps on, Jaewon notices that Dongho manages to avoid... situations that should be impossible to avoid.

He steps back in time for a door to open where he was standing, avoids the LEGOs Daehyun left on the floor like a pro, and just... generally manages to have uncanny reflexes.

Jaewon is moderately creeped out.

Still, they don't know what Daehyun can do, and the results to that should be coming in any day, so Jaewon doesn't give much thought to it.

(he still needs practice on not bursting into flames, at any rate.)

The same day, Minsoo finds out it's his twenty-first birthday.

(he laughs until he cries.)

* * *

"So," Daehyun broaches, taking another sip of his nutrient slush, "I found out what I can do today."

"Hm?" Dongho hums, and Daehyun swallows the tasteless goo before replying.

"Healing."

Minsoo chokes on his drink.

"It's, uh... transference of pain?" Daehyun shrugs, as if Minsoo isn't choking on his drink right next to him. "I can take people's pain away, as long as I take it into myself, so..."

That makes-

so much sense.

"You said it hurt to touch hyung," Jaewon murmurs, gaze flickering to a pensive Dongho. "So maybe...?"

"It doesn't hurt anymore," Daehyun counters, and Dongho blinks once-twice-thrice, clearing a thought from his head.

"That would... explain so much."

"So," Minsoo grins, resting his chin on his hands, "when were you gonna tell us you're the literal Oracle of Delphi?"

The question is directed _not_ at Daehyun, but at Dongho, and the last few things slot into place.

The uncanny knowledge of what's going to happen. The way Dongho _knew_ Minsoo would come back. The nightmares.

"Oh."

"Oh," Minsoo parrots, lips curling into a grin. "You know, with this team... we could break out of here."

Jaewon's heart stutters in his chest.

* * *

Their plan isn't quick.

It requires perfect unison, perfect harmony, each of their four abilities wielded like a weapon.

As it turns out, Dongho's foresight almost compensates for his blindness, though it turns him into a full-time defender. He can't see where to strike, but he can see what to avoid, and that's definitely enough.

Daehyun's ability is more difficult to weaponize, but Minsoo proposes the idea of pushing pain _out_ , instead of _in_ , and Daehyun initially objects - it's against his very nature to do so - but Minsoo is adamant.

The plan hinges on Minsoo getting the keys, so he practices teleporting as far as he can, leaping to and fro across the room at a whim. His stamina is increasing, and they have the time to increase it further.

Jaewon, on the other hand, has the hardest part.

He has to kill people.

The thought keeps him up at night. _Murder_ \- burning people alive, _killing them_ \- makes him sick.

He can't.

He can't, he can't, he can't-

Can he ever face his mom after what he's done?

Who he's become?

God, he hopes so.

Still- he'll always have the others. _Always_.

* * *

On the fifteenth anniversary of their arrival to the facility, they put their plan in motion. 

Dongho takes down the door using process of elimination, and Minsoo teleports out of sight, reappearing with a ring of keys. "Got 'em."

They take off at a fast clip, Dongho giving directions while Minsoo leads the way. Once or twice, they run into guards, and Jaewon hopes and prays that they don't find a large force.

Finally, they find the exit. 

Minsoo immediately starts trying keys, and Jaewon drops into a crouch, palms heating up as he stares down the hall.

Please don't come.

Please, please, just stay away.

"Down there!"

A squadron of men come thundering down the hall, and Jaewon freezes.

Oh, god.

No, no, no, he can't do this.

He can't.

He can't- he can't _kill them_.

Flames spark in his palms, and he reels, terror coursing through his veins as he stares at them.

No, no, no-

Sirens start to wail, and sprinklers deploy, water spraying over his head and on the guards' metal suits.

Oh.

"Come on!" Daehyun shouts, and Jaewon stumbles backwards, his wrist clutched in Daehyun's slender fingers. "We gotta go!"

He follows Daehyun as quickly as he dares-

and _oh_.

Fresh air.

He stumbles forwards, gaze flitting to the sky, and _oh_ , there are so many stars. An endless blanket of white covers the sky, and the grass is soft under his feet, and Minsoo's laughing, bright and ecstatic, and Jaewon wants to cry.

"Where to?" Dongho asks, and Jaewon's gaze drifts down the road, landing on the distant lights.

"...my mom lives down there."

"To your mom's, then," Minsoo grins, and the others nod agreement. "Let's go!"

* * *

It's a long walk.

Dongho's abilities start flickering halfway through, and Daehyun scoops him up after he nearly twists his ankle in a rabbit-hole.

Unsurprisingly, the eldest doesn't particularly enjoy it.

"I can walk," he grumbles, and Daehyun shoots him a blinding grin.

"Yeah, but then you'll get hurt!"

"You're a healer."

"Then I'll get hurt!"

"I'll just carry you."

"Hyung," Minsoo sighs, "just shut up and let Daehyun carry you."

Dongho scowls, but does as he says.

Eventually, dirt turns into pavement, and a lump lands in Jaewon's throat as he stares at the buildings he only vaguely remembers. There's his schoolmate's, there's the diner his mom always used to take him to, there's the tiny movie theatre, there's the ice cream shop-

"My mom," he chokes out, gaze flickering down the street. "She lives just down there."

Minsoo's hand lands on his shoulder, and Jaewon nods, biting his lower lip as he swallows.

It's okay.

They make it down the street, and as Jaewon stares at his childhood home, he hesitates.

This is it.

He knows this is it.

But what if she moved? What if she left? What if he'll never find her again?

And Minsoo-

is knocking on the door.

He shoves Jaewon forwards, a teasing grin on his lips, and Jaewon's head whips around, ready to rebuke him before the door opens.

"...hello?"

Oh.

 _Oh_.

"Mom," he whispers, gaze landing on the forgotten face of his mother.

She looks so much older, so much sadder, but that's his mom - his mom, the mom he missed, and _oh_ , his heart aches.

"Do I... do I know you?"

"It's Jaewon," he gasps, and his mother stares at him for a moment, at his face and eyes and nose. "It's me."

He can see the moment it clicks - the same eyes, the same nose, and she throws herself into his arms, a sob tearing its way from her throat. 

"Jaewon," she breathes, desperate, hoping, and Jaewon nods, reaching up to cup her head.

"It's- i-it's really me, Mom. It's- it's me."

" _Jaewon_ ," she breathes once more, a prayer on her lips, and Jaewon nods, desperate, hoping.

"It's me."

After a small eternity, they separate, his mother's gaze flitting over Jaewon's brothers. "Who are they?"

"My-"

The words stick in his throat.

"Brothers," Minsoo cuts in, slinging his arm over Jaewon's shoulders. "He's my little brother."

His mother's eyes widen, gaze flitting to the duo behind him. "And they-"

"He's stuck with us," Daehyun grins, and his mother's eyes light up.

"Thank you," she breathes, dropping into a bow. "Thank you for taking care of my Jaewon-ah."

"Oh," Daehyun stammers, and Dongho taps his arm twice, finally managing to stun the youngest into motion.

"It's no problem," he assures her, flicking his dark hair in front of his eyes. "He's family."

* * *

That night, the four of them cram together on the floor.

Dongho's the unfortunate pillow, with Minsoo all but lying on top of him. Jaewon's sandwiched between him and Daehyun, and even though it's on a floor with blankets and plushies, it's still the most comfortable they've ever been.

They're _out_.

They're out, and they're never going back.

Jaewon's gaze flickers over the others' faces - Minsoo's asleep, lashes brushing his cheeks, and Daehyun and Dongho are still awake, both staring at the ceiling and thinking about something - and he makes his choice then and there.

 _This is his family_.

No matter what, these are his brothers, and he is never going to leave them.

 _Ever_.

He falls asleep in safety, surrounded by warmth and comfort, and so, so happy.

**Author's Note:**

> may do more in this au... who knows
> 
> fic title from sparks - vicetone remix
> 
> [twit](https://twitter.com/i_was_human_) | [lit fic discord!](https://discord.gg/CNunB74)


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